Dead End
by girl-director
Summary: A group of teens go cruising for a night of fun, which turns into disaster when they get into an accident, and there moment of fun has turned into a dead end whe people start dying to keep their secret.


It all happened after Casey had that big party. Christina walked into Casey's house with Jessica, Matt, Chris and Aubree. She could hear music and smell food. "This party is crazy!" Matt said as he shoved two teens out of the way so he could walk through the door. "Hey guys!" Casey replied as she appeared through a crowd. Her parents went away on a cruise for two weeks so Casey loved to throw parties when her parents weren't home. "Great Party Casey!" Jessica said. "Yea really crazy!" Aubree said. Just then Christina's boy friend, Caleb came up behind them. "Hey!" Caleb said. Christina gave him a quick kiss, She could tell he had been drinking but she didn't mind as long as he wasn't drunk. Caleb turned and headed back to the garage "see you later okay Christina?" he shouted. Christina could barely hear him, and she noticed that the music was getting louder. She hoped that the neighbors didn't call the cops. "Oh well" she said to her self. "Casey?" Christina asked, "Who are all theses people? I don't recognize a lot of them from Notre Dame" she finished. "I dunno, probably from Crossley, or something Who cares? This party is great!" she said with a big smile on her face. She walked away to talk to some friends by the stereo. Christina and Aubree along with Matt and Chris headed down a steep set of stairs to the basement.  
  
A few hours later Christina was getting tired and wanted to go home soon. She hadn't seen Caleb all night; he was still in the garage, probably drinking. She found Aubree, Matt, Chris, and Jessica. A girl's frightened shrill scream rose over the music. Christina turned to see a body tumbling down the stairs. The music stopped, startled cries rang out. Christina saw a bunch of kids huddling around the basement stairs. "Please!" Christina said to herself as fear ran through her mind that the person at the bottom of the stairs was dead. "Please, not Caleb" she pushed her way to the front of the crowd to see Caleb sprawled on his back, his legs splayed out, one foot raised to the stairs. He grinned up at her, his expression dazed. "I think I missed the first step," he said. Some kids started laughing. Christina was too relieved to laugh. She stared down at him, She really thought he was dead. The stairs were really steep and there was no carpet at the bottom. He could have easily cracked his head open. He raised his hand for her to help him up. As she leaned down to grab it, she could smell beer. He had spilled it on his shirt and his breath reeked of it. "You are really gross," she said wiping her hands on her jeans. He giggled as if she said something hilariously funny. "How much beer did you drink?" she asked as she looked into his blood shot eyes. He squinted as if he was trying to concentrate. "There's none left," he said, shaking his head sadly. "Caleb-!" she said in a disgusted groan. Holding the banister he wobbled up the stairs. "I don't feel well," he said as he ran up the stairs to the bathroom. "I don't know him," Christina shouted. "Come on guys, let's go home" she said continuing up the stairs.  
  
Aubree, Matt, Chris and Jessica followed her. Suddenly Caleb emerged from the bathroom. He was pale, but a lot steadier. Christina went to the closet to get her red jacket. When she turned around to face Caleb. "Ready to go home?" he asked. "No way am I riding with you, you are too messed up" she replied. "No really-I'm okay" he followed her to the door. She turned around to face him. "Don't follow me, Caleb" she said sternly. "Hey, Christina-give me a break!" he grabbed both her hands in his and leaned forward for a kiss. But his breath smelled so sour she pulled away. "Christina?" he said. Christina continued to walk to Aubree's red Camero. The September air was crisp and cold. "I'll call you tomorrow!" she called as she ran to the car zipping up her jacket. "I promise!" she waited till Matt got in the car and then slid in next to him. She shut the door and they sped away. "I'm glad I dint go home with Caleb," she said to herself. "I made the right decision" she replied reassuring her self. But in about 10 minutes she would have given anything not to be in the car.  
  
Aubree started past a stop sign then stopped the car with a hard jolt. "Who, didn't see that on" she muttered. Christina suddenly remembered Aubree had been in the garage for a while, too. "Aubree, are you okay?" she asked. She nodded. "Yea. Fine. No problem." The twin beams of light from the headlights bounced off the swirling fog of the late night. Aubree lowered her foot on the gas pedal, and the tires skidded over the wet, pavement. "Hey- you drive like me!" Matt exclaimed laughing. "Slippery road" she muttered. She sped through an intersection, then made a wide turn onto Shaver Road, bumping along the shoulder. "Aubree-" Christina started. "Ow! I hit my head on the roof!" Matt protested. "I'll sue you Aubree! I swear!" "Give me a break! I can barely see this fog is getting worse I swear!" her eyes on the windshield. "Want my glasses?" Chris joked. "Just for that I am taking you home first." She shot back. "Aubree slow down" Jessica replied. Aubree glanced at the speedometer. "Oh sorry" she raised her foot a little off the gas pedal. "My house is just over there," Matt said. "Turn off river-" "I know where you live" Aubree cut in. She turned sharply around a corner. "NO! Back up you missed the street! This is a dead end!" Matt shouted. Aubree jammed her foot on the break. They started to slide. The lights bounced crazily off the fog. Christina could feel her self, thrown hard against Matt. The car skidded harder. Aubree spun the wheel trying to straighten them out. Pumping the break. Pumping it. But they didn't stop. The car in front of them appeared out of nowhere. It just seemed to rise up from the fog. They hit the car from behind, -hard. The other car bounced and the frightened teens could hear the crunch other taillights shattering.  
  
Aubree put the car in reverse and spun the wheel and hit the gas. The tires squealed on the black wet pavement. "Aubree! Stop! Stop!" Christina shouted in fear. "Aubree!" Chris cried out. "You hit someone!" You hit someone!" Jessica repeated frantically. Aubree turned on to Todd's street. She stepped on the break and the car jerked forward. She put the car in park and sat there, her face twisted in an expression of fear. "Aubree! Why didn't you stop! We hit a person! They could be hurt" Jessica replied shakily. "Because" Aubree whispered, her eyes still wide, her face pale. "I can't get in an accident. I'm not supposed to be out tonight. I am grounded. If my parents found out that I went out-worse off, got in an accident they would kill me!" "Me too!" Matt said. My dad just got a job for the mayor! He would kill me. He warned me not to get in any trouble, and the year has barely started." Matt said. Aubree started the car back up. "Guys, if we are okay then the person in the other car must be alright" Chris pointed out. "He's right" Aubree stated as she drove up Matt's driveway. "I hope you are, I really hope you are" Christina replied.  
  
Then next day Christina woke up late. She hadn't slept well that night. She could still hear the crunch of the car hitting the other car. She went down stairs to find a note from her parent's saying they went out of town. She saw a message on the answering; she pressed the play button "Christina? It's me, Caleb. Look I am really sorry about last night. I was really messed up. Please call me when you get this message. Thanks." Just then the phone ringing startled Christina. Guessing it was Caleb she hesitated to pick up, she didn't really want to talk to him right now. But she did any ways. "Hello?" she said into the phone. "Christina? I have some bad news," Matt said. She could hear fear, and nervousness in his voice. "She died, the girl in the car we hit, she died Chris, we killed her" he replied coldly. Christina collapsed in the chair behind her.  
  
A few hours later Christina, Jessica, Matt, Chris and Aubree met at the park by the school. It was quite cold out. But Christina was still numb so she didn't notice. The group just stood there in shock. "She was Mayor Parker's sister, that's how I found out about the murder. My dad's new job at the mayor's office. He is offering a reward to any one who know any thing about the hit and run" "Hit and Run?" Christina said to herself. "Murder? We aren't murderers" "We have to go to the police," Jessica said. "No!" Matt said. "My dad will lose his job and I will get pounded." Christina noticed Chris was very quiet. "I will get grounded for bringing the car out," Aubree said. "It was an accident" Chris replied. "Listen, Chris. If you tell, I swear! I will not be held responsible for my actions!" Matt said sternly. "Let's take an oath, "Aubree said. "We have to promise not to breathe a word to anything we know about what happened last night. That means Christina you can't tell Caleb. He's out friend but we can't trust him. "Agreed?" The teens stood there for a second. "Agreed" they finally said.  
  
Christina walked back home. She walked up to her front porch. Caleb was sitting on her porch swing staring off into space. He stood up when he saw her there. "Christina" he started. "I know your secret" Christina gasped. She could feel a stab of pain in her chest as if someone stabbed an icicle in her heart. "I know you are planning to dump me aren't you? Aren't you?" he repeated. Christina felt a wave of relief. "You are aren't you? I know you are dumping me for Matt, I saw you come to the party with him and leave with him" Christina almost burst out laughing. "Oh, Caleb" Christina stammered trying not to laugh. She wrapped her arms around him and gently kissed him. Soft, then harder and harder. She finally pulled away, and looked into Caleb eyes. "I'm sorry I have been so distant, it's just well the night of Casey's party we hit a car, It was Mayor Parker's sister's Car. We didn't want to get caught to we drove away. We promised to take an oath not to go to the police. It is killing me inside but I have to keep it a secret" she confessed. She felt like a big weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Caleb looked at her sympathetically. "Shh, it's okay, every thing will turn out alright" HE held her for a second. Then she looked up into his eyes. She could still see confusion. "What's wrong?" She asked. "Well you know how Jessica invited us to her Uncle Fred's cabin next weekend?" he asked. "Yea" she replied. "Well I can't go my cousins are coming down, so I have to see them," "Maybe I should stay too" Christina replied. "No, don't worry, go, you will have fun, with you precious Matty Waddy" he said in a baby voice. Christina giggled and kissed Caleb again. "Okay, now you have to go" she replied. "All right, don't worry your secret is safe" he quickly kissed her again. Christina turned and walked into her house, just as the phone began to ring. She picked it up. "Hello?" she said into the receiver. "Chris?" a voice said. "Matt?" Christina said. 'Yea, We need to talk, we have a problem" he said.  
  
"Huh? What about?" she answered puzzled. "We need to talk about Chris, we need to do something about him" "Huh? Talk louder I can't hear you" she replied. "Shh, you can't just shut-up and listen. Chris called me and said he can't take it, he wants to go to the police. He can't. We won't let him. We have to do something about him" Matt was talking softer and softer. "What?" Christina said in a panic voice. "Never mind," he said quickly. "I got to go" CLICK Christina stared at the phone in her hands. "We have to do something about him" "What did Matt mean?" Christina thought to herself. She ignored that gnawing curious feeling, but she still knew it was there. Gnawing at her conscience.  
  
The next week Christina, Aubree, Jessica, Matt and Chris all went to Jessica's Uncle Fred's cottage. When they got there Uncle Fred decided to take the guys hunting. The girls want to come too, and after some cat and dog fights, the entire group packed up and head out to the woods behind the cottage. "You girls are wimps, you don't have the guts to shoot an animal" Matt said sneering. Jessica smacked Matt on the back of the head. "Are not" she said. "Hey that hurt!" he said. "Good" Aubree noted. "You deserved it!" Christina stated. "All girl's aren't wimps" she finished. Christina made an extra attempt to stay right behind the group. She really didn't wasn't to get lost. Just then she looked up ahead of her and she didn't see the group. She looked around. "Oh great." she said to herself. "I'm lost" just then she heard a gunshot and she turned and looked in the direction. She ran towards the direction of the sound she tripped over a log and fell on the ground. She picked herself up and wiped her self off. She looked ahead of her and saw Chris leaning up against a tree. "Chris.where is the rest."she stopped herself. She began to scream loudly. She saw Todd standing there is shock. "His head." she stammered staring at the bloody stump. "Where is his head?" she screamed in fright.  
  
The police concluded Chris had tripped and the gun shot off and shattered his head. Christina had still thought it was weird. But what else could she think? One of her best friends was dead. She sat in her room one day after Chris's funeral thinking. Christina still couldn't get Matt's conversation on the phone the one day out of her mind. "He wants to go to the police, we won't let him. We have to do something about him" Christina shuddered from the thought. "Matt wouldn't kill Chris they are best friends. But did he want to keeps his dad's job that bad?" she said to herself. Just then the phone rang startling her. "Hello?" she said. "Chris? Its me Jess" she said sounding very upset. "Jess? What's wrong?" she asked her. "I have to go the police, I can't take it." She said. She could hear Jessica sobbing. "About the mayor's sister?" Christina asked. "I know, it has been bugging me too" she finished. "No.I know something else. The night at the cabin Chris told me something very important. He was going to the police. Then the.the accident happened and I got scared.I have to tell you something please. Please come over quick it is too important over the phone. Please Chris." She said Christina noticed she began to sob louder. "Alright. I will be right over." Christina replied. She hung up the phone and grabbed her jacket and car keys. She didn't now that was the last time she would have talked to Jessica.  
  
Christina pulled into Jessica's driveway. She walked to her back door and let herself in. "Jess?" she called. "Jessica?" "Where was she?" Christina asked herself. She decided to see if she was in her room upstairs. She turned towards the stairs leading to the 2nd floor. She saw Jessica a t the bottom of the stairs. He neck was in a distorted form. Twisted how it shouldn't be twisted. Christina began to scream. "No! You can't be dead. You can't" she screamed. "Why is this happening?"  
  
A few days later, after the funeral Christina decided she had to go to the police. Day after day it was killing her to think she had taken a life. And because of it two of her best friend's lives were taken. She had to go to the police. She called. Aubree. "Aubree.I can't take it any more. Jessica and Chris both dead. This has to stop." She stammered. "She expected Aubree to protest and was surprised when she didn't. "I know, it has been bugging me too. I'll pick you up in five minutes and we'll go the police station together, okay?" Christina hung up the phone and almost instantly it rang again. "Hello?" she said. "Hey Chris!" Caleb said. "Look Caleb I can't talk right now I have to go but I promise to call you back later okay?" she said. "Chris what is wrong? You have been avoiding my calls and me. We never go out any more," he said concerned. "Look I can't talk right now but I promise well talk later okay?" she said quickly and hung up the phone. Aubree's car had pulled in the driveway and Christina ran outside and into the car and they headed to the police station.  
  
They walked into the station and to the front desk. "Can I help you?" the lady asked. "Yes" Christina replied. "It's about Mayor Parker's sister's murder case" she finished. Her whole body was numb. "Hold on" the lady said. She got and went trough a door behind her. A minute later her ad another officer walked through the door. "Hi I am Officer Hanlen, You have information about the Gillian Parker case?" he asked. "Yes," Aubree said. "We did it. We hit the car. We were too afraid to come and say anything but we have to." She finished. Officer Hanlen began scribbling on a note pad. "The car is outside if you want to see it" Aubree stated. "I would like to" he replied. The two girls and officer Hanlen walked into the almost empty parking lot. "It's this one" Aubree said as they stopped in front of her red car. Officer looked at the car and then looked at the girls with a puzzled look on his face. "Girl's why are you confessing to a crime to you didn't commit?" he asked.  
  
"What?" Aubree stammered. "What do you mean?" Christina asked. "The police found traces of blue paint from a car on her back bumper" he started. "They also found tire tracks by the car and these tires don't match the one we found, See?" he finished as he showed the girl's a sketch of the tire tracks. "This track belongs to a Ford, your car is a Camero" Christina gasped. "Thank you officer" Aubree said and she walked to the other side of the car. Christina went to the passenger side but then she felt a strong hand clamp down on her shoulder.  
  
She whipped around to see Matt. "I told you not to go to police!" he shouted. "Matt?" Aubree said. "We didn't do it" she replied. "What?" he said confused. "The cops found traces of blue paint on the car and the tire tracks don't match ours" Christina pointed out. "Which means she must have been dead before we hit her. Someone else hit her before us." Aubree stated. "Oh gawd" Matt said. "I know" Christina said. "Come on, I'll give you a ride home" Aubree said. Matt, Aubree and Christina got into the car still confused.  
  
"Thanks for the ride!" Christina said as she got out of the car. It had started to rain hard so she quickly ran to her front door with out getting wet. She noticed that Caleb was sitting on her front porch. She walked up her front stoop. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "How did you get here?" she asked. "I drove my mom's Ford" he pointed right in front of the house to his mom's blue car. Christina gasped. She turned to look at Caleb. "Oh my gawd" she said. "It was you" she replied.  
  
"Let's go," he said sternly. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards the car. He opened the door. "Get in" he said. She obeyed. He got in the car and peeled away from the curb. "You want an explanation? I'll give you one" he began. Christina looked at him bewildered. *"After you left Casey's party I was furious. I really thought you were cheating on me with Matt. So I go tin my car. I knew I was drunk but I was so angry." Christina noticed they had left the town and were heading towards the cliffs outside of their town. "I didn't know what I was doing. I guess I wanted to go to Matt's house but I got lost because of the fog. I didn't see her car. I swear. I couldn't go back. I was drunk and I wasn't supposed to be driving the car. I got out of there so fast. I had to leave her hoping she was alright" he continued. "Then when I heard you had hit her car after me I thought it was the perfect way out. But I still had the burden of hitting her car. So I told Chris. He promised he wouldn't tell but he called me right before you left to Jessica's Uncle's. He said he couldn't take it anymore and that I had to go to the police or he'd turn me in. So I knew I had to kill him. So I went there and I saw him in the woods by himself. He was real stupid. He was so startled to see him that he dropped the gun and I picked it up and shot him in the head."  
  
Christina gasped. "I thought my problems were over. But then I went to Jessica's one day and I over heard her tell you that she knew about what really happened. She said Chris told her. So I knew she had to die too. It was really easy. I just pushed her down the stairs headfirst. It was simple. But then you had to go and find things out and snoop around. You know too much" He finished. "What are you going to do?" she asked nervously. "Kill you" he replied solemnly  
  
"I'm sorry Christina, I cant trust you not to tell like Chris almost did, I cant risk that" he said. He stopped the car at Turner's Peak. Teens would come out there on Weekends. It was a cliff that if you fell off you would fall onto sharp jagged rocks. He got out of the car pulling Christina with him. She tried to fight his tight grip. But it was hard to see from the rain, which was coming down hard. "Please Caleb!" she shouted. "I promise! I won't tell!" he dragged her towards the edge of the cliff. "Time to die" he said  
  
He began to push her but she thought quicker. She ducked down just as he put her weight forward to push her. He flipped over her and fell forward over the cliff. He grabbed the edge. "Christina! Help me!" he was holding on the edge but was slipping slowly because of the rain. She grabbed his wrists but they slipped out of her grip. She watched his face in horror as he fell towards a jagged death. "Noooo!" she yelled. She sat back away from the edge and began to sob.  
  
A few minutes later the police showed up with Matt and Aubree. "How did you know what happened?" she asked them. "Well after we dropped you off, we noticed Caleb's car. It finally dawned at us that it was a Ford. We went back to your house but you had already left. WE had a feeling were he was going. We stopped at a gas station and called the police. WE hoped it wouldn't be too late. But by the time we got here he was gone" Matt said. Christina had begun to cry. Aubree hugged her. "It'll be okay" she replied softly. "I loved him, I did" she said. "We know" Matt replied. "Accidents happen" he finished.  
  
By:  
  
Christine Szabo October 19th, 2001 


End file.
